Kumeyaay Rock Art - Deep in a Rock Art Shelter in the Transition Zone. Southern California Rock Art.

A Shaman canvas.  Within this shelter are 20 or more pictographs painted mostly in red.  The ceiling is made up of many wind pockets.  Each one is a canvas with one or more elements.  Within the immediate area is a reliable seasonal creek and other rock shelters, many more than adequate for the village site near by.  Also in the immediate vicinity are Agave pits, bedrock milling, bucket loads of chipping, and various tools.  In addition to the Agave there are Sumac and even a few Manzanita.  A veritable feast for those who knew how to harvest it.  For those who love Utah  there is even an arch near by.  One peculiar pictograph of concentric circles faces North and has been coated in green lichen.  When walking around the area, it is very clear that it is rich in heritage.   One friend has worked diligently over the years to prevent the area from being converted into a wind farm.  I lay on my back and look up into the ceiling at the red spiritual communications by the Shaman.  The disparity of this simple lifestyle as compared to the thirst for power and the freeway not too far away is easy to see.  Which road do we want to take?  How do we follow a road when nearly all the signs have been destroyed?

Don Liponi, copyright 2014.
Click to enlarge - photo by flash, but no other manipulations.